Targets have long been used for training. For example, a ground-based two-dimensional or three-dimensional target having an appearance similar to that of a tank can be used for training of crews of anti-tank guns or other artillery. By utilizing such targets, real-world battlefield efficiency of soldiers so trained is improved, by giving them practice in utilizing their equipment before they are called upon to use same in a more stressful situation where they may be under fire. Using of targets instead of, for example, an actual tank also reduces the cost of such training; it is cheaper to repair or replace a damaged target than it is to repair or replace a damaged tank.
Further cost savings can be achieved by having the target lowered when the target is hit. Such lowering also provides the trainee(s) with a good visual indication of the effectiveness of their fire. Obviously, it would be dangerous to have an observer positioned near a target to determine when that target has been hit and so should be dropped. Accordingly, a hit sensor is needed to determine whether the target has been hit such as by gunfire. For this purpose, a piezoelectric sensor has been fixed to a surface of the target facing the source of such gunfire. However, while such devices have served the purpose, they have not proven entirely satisfactory under all conditions of use in that the hit sensor so mounted is, like the target, subject to damage from gunfire or debris.